When asked to define myself as a consumer, at first I just thought, “Pfft, I’m no consumer, I don’t buy anything – I’m a poor college kid!”  However, as I got to think about it, I began to wonder what it meant to be a consumer.  Wikipedia defines a consumer as “a person or group of people who are the final users of products and or services generated within a social system.”  With such a broad definition, it shows that everyone is a consumer in their own way; therefore I must fit a profile of a consumer as well.  Is that what we all are?  Are we only here to live and die and make future generations to do the same?  These are disturbing, existential questions that have no place in a consumer essay, but are a part of my thought process as I try to define myself as a consumer.  If you break it down, everyone must consume products every day.  We consume water food and air in order to sustain life.  We consume electricity to power our machines and our buildings so that we may be comfortable indoors.  We consume large amounts of fossil fuels in the form of coal and gas to power our transportation.  These are the basics that we have become accustomed to, and are understandable that we must utilize them.

In general, America has built a highly consumer oriented culture, where “the customer is always right!”  This culture, much like any other phenomenon, has grouped the population into different classes of consumers.  It is an expectation that people follow this trend of consumption in the United States, and those who don’t are considered strange or are commended for their willpower.  While I would love to tell you that as a poor college kid, I rarely consume products just as most (if not all) Americans do.  However, if I said this, I would be lying.  While it is true I am a college kid living on a budget, and I do only purchase what I need, I purchase exactly that – what I need.  I have found it hard to classify myself as one specific consumer; however after letting the topic ferment in my head for a few days, it came to me.  My identity as a consumer is defined by my use of technology, this is partly because of myself being a Computer Science major, it is an obligation that I spend a large amount of time familiarizing myself with the software necessary to fulfill my major, but also partly because I am a bored college student with nothing to do during my spare time.

I found it difficult to pinpoint myself as a consumer as my consumption habits pale in comparison to those around me.  I come from a very well-to-do family with horrible consumption habits.  I’ll spare you the details, but a large portion of money has gone towards technology – computer parts, laptops, cameras, phones, televisions, you name it – we’ve bought it.  However, technology is unique, in that it does not expire.  Buying a laptop for $1200 that will last me four years through college is a worthy investment.  While I may believe my consumption habits are lesser than most, I do still consume products every day.  As a sit, typing on my Samsung laptop, made in China, I hold my Apple iPhone, designed in California, assembled in China.  My Black & Decker mini-fridge, assembled in China, keeps my drinks cold.  These products have something in common – they are made in China and shipped to America.  So in consuming these products, I have not only bought the product itself, but also the miles it has flown to get here, and the labor of the workers in China.  But if I have bought the product of the labor of the workers in China, have I, somehow, helped reinforce their consumption habits as well?  Where does the consumption chain end?

When I buy something, I sit and visualize how I will use it, and how often I will use it.  If I cannot see myself using it more than once, I ask myself why I feel that I need it.  I have never been too impressed by flashy advertisements or name brands, nor have I been concerned with impressing others with the expensive things that I buy.  Because of this, I rarely buy products other than groceries or school supplies, and will leave more expensive or extravagant purchases for later.  As a college student, I live a pretty low key lifestyle; I am surviving off of summer job money and money from graduation still.  Since being in Pullman, I have refrained from buying what I don’t need, because there are more important things, like books and food that I could be buying.  Because of my conservative spending habits, I am able to live fairly comfortably on a very tight budget.  To some I might seem crazy because I am not concerned with the flashiest trends, but by not investing a large sum of money in my present, I am investing in my future.

The expectation of writing something like this is that I find that my consumption habits are unstable or that I should cut back my spending on certain unneeded products.  However, I have been able to realize that I am fairly responsible with my money, and I buy the things I need and that I will get the most use out of.  Admittedly I am guilty of being an American consumer; I do not fully indulge in the consumer culture I live in.  While I am not a seventh generation toilet paper recycler, I also don’t spend my money too easily.  The saying goes, “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” but I say “keep your friends close and your wallet closer.”

It’s time to set my priorities straight.  At the beginning of the semester, I did not have much money for books.  So in an attempt to scrounge up all the money I could for the books I needed, I sold several games that I no longer played, along with some other unused clothes and items around my room, and bought my Calculus textbook.  I feel that this was a responsible choice that I made, and made me a better consumer.  By donating unused games and other items, I gave them a chance to be used and appreciated once more by recycling them at a local game store.

What you think will be a friendly game between your friends, may likely tear you apart!

If only it were this simple, right?  Just shower yourself with AXE body spray, and the ladies will flock from miles around just to smell you!  It just has to be too good to be true.  While this ad seems silly, it actually uses a very effective marketing strategy by not only utilizing sex-appeal, but also subliminal cause-and-effect images.  The mostly naked women in the ad catch the viewers attention early, while the suspenseful music builds up a sense of competition between the running women.  At the end of the commercial, when you finally see the man, you gain an understanding of what the commercial is truly about: the body spray, and its seemingly magical powers of attracting women.  The ad uses an obvious over-emphasis on the beauty of the women that will be flocking toward those who use AXE products, however the use of this hyperbole serves a purpose, by adding a sense of humor to the commercial.

As a consumer of this product, however, I can say that I have not had billions of women swarming me, in order to catch a whiff.  Obviously the intention of the ad is not to mislead or convince the viewer that there truly would be billions of women running toward the user, as that would be absurd.  The ad uses the exaggeration to try to intrigue the imagination of the viewer, and tempt him (or her?) to buy the product in order to boost self esteem or self-worth due to smelling good.  The ad, as silly and ridiculous as it is, accomplishes the task of intriguing the viewer, and selling the product.

“How do you identify yourself as a consumer? How might you need to change your consumer behavior, and why?”

As an American citizen, I have to admit that I live in a highly consumer-oriented society. Americans have a horrible reputation for being spoiled rotten, which isn’t entirely false.  As a college student, I like to believe that I don’t contribute to this stereotype of the American people, because I am too “poor” to participate in frivolous spending.  However, I cannot deny that I do play a part in the consumer culture that we live in.

In a world so reliant on social acceptance and keeping up with the latest trends, we, Americans, get so caught up in the hype that we begin to lose our focus on what really matters.  That new video game or that pretty necklace may be “all the rage,” but the question that should really be put into place is: “Why? Why do I need this?”  Believe me, by no means am I a perfect person, nor am I innocent of lust for cool new things, however, it is important to take a step back from the situation in order to assess it with greater insight.

I know, I know, I’m sounding like one of those old ladies in a self-help magazine.  But seriously, there have got to be higher priorities in our lives than following the latest and greatest developments that Hollywood has to offer us.  As a consumer, I wish I were able to block out the internal voices saying, “Go for it!  It’s not that expensive, just buy it!”  But it’s more difficult than it sounds.  In the society we live in, it would be strange for someone NOT to care what others think of the way they present themselves through their purchases.